Front Wheel Bearing Replacement ???

[festivaman]

Could someone post or point me to instructions concerning the replacement of the front wheel bearings in a '93 Festiva? It appears that they press apart, but I can't find any instructions, and I'd like to know the steps before I start tearing into things. Thanks. Mark.

[darpien]

you need a machine to press the bearings out then in again i don't know where you could find it and if it would even be worth it to buy it. i would tell you to just go to a local shop that can press in bearings and get them to do it.

[qaking]

email me at qaking@cox.net and i will provide you with what info I have along with a front bearing tool that is easy to make. :wink:

[festivaman]

email me at qaking@cox.net and i will provide you with what info I have along with a front bearing tool that is easy to make. :wink:

e-mail sent. Thanks.

[qaking]

email me at qaking@cox.net and i will provide you with what info I have along with a front bearing tool that is easy to make. :wink:

e-mail sent. Thanks.

Email reply sent :wink:

[gdawgs]

There is another trick to front wheel bearings. Festivas use two bearings with a "preload" spacer between them. Once the bearings are installed and the center nut torqued to the proper spec, there is a certain amount of drag, or preload torque that the bearings are supposed to supply to the wheel. In the manual, they give a guidline like if you are XXX lb*ft too heavy, use a spacer "A" (or something to this affect). The problem is that you can't buy the preload spacers anywhere. When I did mine, after I tightened up the center nut, I couldn't even turn the wheel, so I needed a thicker preload spacer. Since I couldn't get one, I just made a few shims. If the wheel doesn't have enough drag, you could take the spacer to a machine shop and have them mill off a few thousandths.